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Long Beach awarded $8M for services for nonviolent offenders
Long Beach Dec 03, 2024
Long Beach Department of Health & Human Services. | Photo courtesy of Long Beach Department of Health & Human Services/Facebook
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The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services has been awarded an $8 million grant from the Board of State and Community Corrections to implement a new Long Beach Reentry Service and Diversion Program. The new program, which is funded through 2028, will work in collaboration with local community-based organizations to assist individuals arrested, charged or convicted of nonviolent offenses, especially those with mental health or substance use challenges.
“This new program will support and address gaps for reentry services such as vital mental health and substance use treatment for nonviolent offenders,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “By providing key support services, we can reduce recidivism, reducing crime while providing a second chance for those who are justice-involved.”
The new program seeks to:
- Enhance and increase coordination of mental health, substance use treatment, diversion and supportive services for justice-involved people in Long Beach.
- Increase programming specifically designed for justice-involved youth ages 15-24.
- Improve connections to specific mental health, substance use treatment and supportive services for justice-involved women.
Major services will include individual and group therapy, as well as psychiatric medication management to support mental health, substance use treatment, and pre-arrest diversion programs for youth and adults. Additionally, the program will offer a range of supportive services including case management, education and employment assistance, connection to housing, legal support and tattoo removal.
“The program will strengthen partnerships to boost the capacity of local service providers and provide services through a trauma-informed and culturally responsive lens,” said Health Department Director Alison King.
The Health Department is currently in the process of developing program details and will announce further information in early 2025. The California Board of State and Community Corrections, which awarded the grant, is an independent statutory agency that provides leadership to the adult and juvenile criminal justice systems. Funding comes from state savings generated by the implementation of Prop 47, which reduced certain low-level drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors.
